Roadtrip Travel: 4 reasons to travel by car

We’ve all had them before. These unforgettable days on our travels, which you can not forget even years later. Almost every single detail is as close as if it had been yesterday. So memorable and beautiful. I had some of those moments while sitting behind the wheel and experiencing a journey that would have been impossible without a car.

# 1: Behind the wheel

Hawaii . 2010. It was one of those spontaneous decisions to rent a car and drive down the coasts of Oahu with a few buddies.

I’ll never forget what it felt like to drive along the coast in the Ford Mustang Cabriolet, taste the sea air and feel the light breeze in my hair. Listen to loud music, have a good time with friends and just forget the rest of the world. Indescribably beautiful.

Sometimes I come with the buddies also on slightly crazy ideas, such. For example, Big Island, Hawaii’s largest island, can be completed in just one day. Well, we only live once.

Towards the end of my stay on the island paradise, I was able to experience the trip in a similar way again. Again with a Ford Mustang. Just had to be.

I had a similar experience when I was with my buddy in Lloret de Mar (I was young and wild) several years ago and we got a rainy day. Instead of moping, we got into the car and drove to Barcelona. There we had a wonderful day full of sightseeing in one of the most beautiful cities ever.

Even the way to Spain from Switzerland was an adventure in itself. Hours on the road, packed with good music, delicious snacks and hundreds of philosophical topics just waiting to be discussed.

2: Off the beaten track

One of the biggest advantages of traveling by car is to experience more of the visited destination than just what is easily accessible by foot anyway.

If we had not rented a car back in Hawaii, we would never have experienced the beautiful nature and the many deserted beaches that can only be seen in pictures. Just dive away from the crowded beaches full of tourists and dive into a world in which only rarely goes. A world from which, if one has discovered it for oneself, one no longer wishes to go.

Also in Australia, the most beautiful and deserted beaches were not accessible on foot or by bus. You have to rent a car and drive a bit further. But you get the beauty of our planet in front of your eyes and literally feel, how it warms your heart.

# 3: freedom through flexibility

I am a huge fan of personal freedom. Especially when traveling, I want to be able to do exactly as well as I can, and when I feel like it. I also get this opportunity if I am traveling by car. Thus, I can do that relatively spontaneously, which I just feel like.

Check bus connections? No matter! Looking for a taxi? Please do not!

When I think back to my stay in Spain, it’s great to just get in the car in bad weather and drive off, instead of staying in the hotel and getting angry about the bad weather.

Also, the freedom to decide when I want to go where and especially when I really want to leave or not, is priceless for me. This shows with me also because I abhor public transport and use only if nothing really works.

Imagine having taken the bus and exploring a little bit further out of town, lying on the secluded beach and enjoying the warm sunshine while the sand under your feet burns lightly on your feet.

Could you really relax, if you could not just forget the time, but have to remember when your bus will drive back to the hotel? Not me. Having the freedom to run away when I want that is my little luxury of such excursions.

# 4: The way is the goal

Is not it a pity that we do not even realize so much of our environment because we focus only on the goal? I loved it as a toddler for hours while driving out the window to watch and daydream.

Why do we take the opportunity to look forward to the goal and to miss all the beauty on the way? All the beautiful nature, all the sunshine, all the warm summer rain falling down on our car window and slowly flowing down?

The goal should not be the only reason for our travels, but also all the experiences and feelings on the way there. Imagine how people used to travel for days to arrive at the destination. Unfortunately, I can not ask any of them, but I’m sure the way there was as memorable for them as the arrival itself.

The experiences on the way there are as much a part of the whole and with a car intensely enjoyable.